-Yorda-
By Julie Danskin (Invader Jed)
Chapter 17 - Sacrifice -
Author's note: I know, I know, don't hurt me. It has been a long time, but it's getting to the point where I'm not sure if I'm ruining the story or not. Do you know what I mean? Probably not. Ooooooohhhhh well. I'm just saying that this is the part when you'll either love it or hate it and therefore hate me and I'll get all scared and stuff. Don't hurt me! O.o Ok calm down Jed - shhhhh. There, there.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Morning came slowly for Ico, who lay in his bed wide awake, thinking about what Yorda was doing. How foolish she was. Ico wasn't worth it, not even Siania was -
Ico looked over at what was nearest to family and undid his last thought. Siania was worth everything, he loved her. But not like he loved Yorda, he loved her with something that had been lost and found again. Something precious and unique that he had never known could exist to him, and he knew inside himself she felt the same, and that she was doing this for him.
"He said that if I refused, he would kill you."
Yorda -
When the time came, Ico and Siania gathered their bags and carried them along the hallways, escorted by Biocha. It was very early, before dawn. Yorda might be sleeping, or not quite awake. Ico felt like he was saying goodbye, even if he was coming back to see the wedding. But wasn't he saying goodbye? He had sworn not to speak to Yorda.
But they didn't need to speak.
Her room was lit with torches mounted on the walls, the shadows dancing on the walls. On the bed sat Yorda with Keoden sitting nearby, a frowning smile watching Ico victoriously. In leaving, Ico would doom Yorda. In dying, she would save Ico and Siania, along with all other 'cursed' ones. In living, she could love Ico.
Siania ran up to her first to engulf the princess in a warm embrace. Yorda sat limply, only moving her arms from her sides to pull away and give her a small kiss on the cheek. She outlined the young girl's face with the crook of her index finger and smiled. Ico blinked in surprise at the look that passed over Yorda's face.
The one from when she was a girl at the castle.
The one that told him she was lost and sad.
The one that tore him in two.
Siania stood aside and Ico approached Yorda cautiously and bowed respectfully. He longed to kiss her, but something told him that wouldn't be appropriate.
"I'll be back, Yorda," he promised, "To see you get married. Will you wear a nice dress?"
"Goodbye," she replied blankly, and Ico felt a tear prick in his eye. Did she even know who he was?
"I - I'll make sure Sai gets home safetly," he tried again, "And I'll bring you one of her drawings as a present, shall I?"
Yorda looked at him, the clouds strong and defiant over her violet eyes.
"Corru acci sommi ep," she said in her own language. Keoden came up behind Ico and walked over to Yorda, putting a hand on her shoulder. She just looked at it.
"Folitera commae sommi corri epa sol, Yorda," he said, and Yorda blinked at her brother, before turning back to Ico.
"Goodbye," she said again, and the pain that wrenched in Ico was almost unbearable. He bowed again.
"Goodbye, Princess," he croaked, and turned before his heart exploded, his cloak brushing her knees slightly as he walked over to Siania and Biocha and out of the door.
Yorda looked at Keoden angrily and stood up.
"Happy now?" she snapped, "Happy now Ico thinks you've managed to break me?"
Keoden walked up to her and smiled nastily.
"You are broken, Princess," he snarled, "Look at you. You're shaking. You must have it bad, Yorda. Too bad that you'll never know-"
"Be quiet!" she cried, and flung open the door Ico had just walked out of. Keoden slammed it and shoved her against the wall adjacent to the door, "Let go of me! You've had your way now let me live the rest of my life in peace! Or what's left of it,"
"What are you talking about?" Keoden demanded, still holding her against the wall.
"Oh, I know all about it, Keo. How you plan to frame Giannias and kill me just after the wedding. How you say you'll release him - but that won't happen, will it, Keoden, dear brother? Because you know as well as I do that if I'm dead and the 'king' is dead, then the next in line would be-"
Keoden pulled her forwards and slammed her back into the wall so she bit her tongue and banged her head, tasting blood. She moaned slightly, but looked at him, the fake clouds gone and anger filling them.
"Look what you've come to, Keoden," she said quietly, "You're going to kill your sister for a chair. And power."
"Power is everything," Keoden retorted, "Without power, there is only-"
"Peace? Independence? Love? Three things that you pretend you stand for, Keo. Three things that I stand for, and you are going to destroy! Was I really such a bad leader?"
"No, I -"
"Do what you have to do, Keoden. But make it quick."
Yorda tried to push him away and almost succeeded, but Keoden pushed his face closer to hers so she could smell his deceitful breath.
"I'll kill you slowly, Yorda," he promised, "And then I'll track down your boyfriend and kill him slowly too, and then his family, and then the little horned girl. After that - the rest of those filthy horned children you love so much."
He let her go and stormed out of the room. Yorda gasped for air and slumped forwards onto the floor and cried. Everything she had thought she was going to save was going to be wasted.
"Ico," she said to the polished marble floor, "Ico - forgive me. I love you."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Ready?" Biocha said cheerily to Siania as Ico sat on top of Riia the horse, awaiting Siania saying goodbye to her friend. She was hugging him tight, and Biocha's family were also gathered around them smiling.
"I don't want to go now!" Siania sobbed, holding onto Biocha's tunic, who chuckled.
"Don't be silly, young girl," he laughed, "You'll be seeing all your friends and family again!"
"Can't you come too?" she asked hopefully, and he shook his head and peeled her arms away from him and knelt down to her eye level.
"'Fraid not, young miss," he said, "We'll meet again soon, I promise."
Siania smiled slightly, and turned to Ico, who lifted her onto the horse in front of him, and he took the reins, linking his arms around her.
"Bye, Biocha!" she called, "Bye, everyone!"
'Bye, Yorda," Ico thought, 'I'll see you in a couple of days.'
"Safe journey, Ico," Biocha wished to Ico, snapping him to reality. He tore his eyes from the castle and nodded, smiling grimly.
"Will do," he said, "C'mon, Riia, we need to get out of here."
He urged the mare forwards and they trotted off into the distance, not wanting to tire Riia out too quickly. When noon came and the sun was high the Spirits emerged, and Ico felt Siania tense beside him.
"Why does it seem that they know exactly where we are, every single one of them?" he thought aloud, probably alarming his companion, so said, "Ah well, all the more to outrun. Makes it a bit more exciting, huh Sai?"
She didn't say anything.
"Hey, just think of what's at the other end," he said softly to her, still concentrating hard on the road. A branch whipped past his eye and knocked a Spirit in the head. Ico laughed, which seemed to cheer Siania up a little.
Come nightfall, Ico and Siania had made good progress and were nearly home already. It would only take them another couple of hours, so they decided to go through the night at leisure, as there were no demons to try and drag them away. They managed to go at a walking pace, and Siania slept a while, so surprised Ico when she spoke.
"You're going back aren't you?" she said.
"Yes," he told her, "Just to see Yorda get married."
"Shouldn't she be marrying you?" Siania asked.
"Why would you think that?"
"You love her," she replied simply, "I can tell."
"There isn't much I can do," he said softly, staring at Riia's mane distractedly, "She's a Princess, and I'm-"
"A peasant? I don't think she cares much."
"That's not the only problem."
"She's in danger isn't she? With her brother, and that nasty-looking man he's always with? What's his name - Giannes?"
"Giannias. What makes you think she's in danger?"
"Because I see the way you look at them both. Especially Prince Keoden. You hate him."
"Siania! What did your mother teach you about that word!" Ico scolded, trying his best to avoid the subject as he felt tears of regret teasing his eyes.
"Never mind that," she snapped, and she sounded so much older than twelve, "You despise him more than his friend, because he's only the pawn. It's Keoden that's wanting to hurt Princess Yorda, isn't it?"
"You're a clever girl," Ico said, "Yorda will be fine."
"She will if you're there to protect her," Siania told him, and was quiet for the rest of the journey, and leapt off the horse when they reached the gates, and sprinted to her house. Ico tied Riia up and walked into the happiest atmosphere he had ever known. Except from when he was with Yorda.
Raath and Kiassa were sitting in the kitchen, both hugging Siania. They looked up to see Ico and Raath stood up, leaving Siania with her mother, and walked over to Ico. He shook his hand warmly and wrapped him in an embrace.
"My son," he said, "You brought her home."
"I made a promise," Ico reminded him, "But you shouldn't thank me. You should thank the Princess. She was the one that did the fighting. To the others in the castle, we were just insignificant peasants. Except Biocha and Yorda-the Princess."
"Yes, yes, but you brought her home!" Kiassa cried, tears running down her face as she squeezed the life out of her daughter.
Raath nodded, and took a large bottle of wine out of his cellar downstairs, and with the crack of it opening, Ico connected a telepathic link with Yorda, and felt her pain.
He forced a smile and drank the wine, trying to accept that he was the hero.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, Yorda sat, expressionless, as her maids picked out her wedding gown and played with her medium length hair, trying to find a style that would make her look poetic and lovely. She sat, enduring the pain and the lack of the presence of Ico, and the knowledge that he would soon be watching her getting married for his benefit. How foolish it sounded, that she was marrying someone to help Ico, who would be crushed by her commitment to Giannias, who was in fact planning to kill her.
But at least he would be safe.
'Only you wanting me to go away could make me, and then my heart would ache forever.'
'Better it ache than bleed.'
'Are you sure? Are you really sure?'
The words haunted her, the riddles hidden within them tormenting her.
Was Ico trying to say that he would rather die than not be with her? Or was it something he had simply come out with without considering its meaning or depths, not that Ico necessarily had to have reason to say something like that and mean what she thought, but then, what else could it mean?
'Are you sure?'
"Of course I'm sure," she said aloud, "I thought about it and I made up my mind. It's better this way for everyone."
'Are you really sure?'
A maid disturbed Yorda's thoughts, and she remembered that she had been thinking aloud.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but what have you made your mind up about, if you don't mind me asking," she said, and Yorda jerked her head, making one of her other maids working on her hair tut in disapproval.
"What?" Yorda asked the maid, who was called Lika.
"It's just that-" Lika broke off, thinking she had perhaps crossed a line. Yorda smiled slightly to stop the conversation and looked in the mirror again at the person she was, not even twenty years old and giving up her life for a peasant boy and his cursed sister. It seemed a ridiculous thing for a princess to do.
But she loved Ico, and owed him her life for what he did for her in the castle years ago.
Realisation flooded her like an unpleasant wind taking her breath away. There was two days before the wedding, Ico would be getting ready to return to Ara P'Way if he was to make it on time. Unless the Spirits got him and Siania on the way back to Furwha Sanctuary, as Keoden was controlling them somehow. Or maybe Ico had changed his mind, and the last thing she had said to him was "Corru acci sommi ep" which meant "Go now before I change my mind".
Ico.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ico was indeed getting ready for his return journey to Ara P'Way as soon as he had arrived. He couldn't miss one, last glance of Yorda and her freedom. He was readying Riia as the sun began to rise, and Raath came up and put a hand on his shoulder, giving Ico a sudden fright.
"Sorry, son," he said gruffly, "Just wanted to catch you before you scarpered. Sai and Kiassa are in bed, still, but I knew you wanted to beat the Spirits and get there in time."
"I don't want to camp alone in a cave," Ico said, surprising his adopted father a little, "I'll ride through the night if I have to. I need to get to - I need to get to - "
He caught himself just in time, but Raath smiled softly.
"The girl," he said knowingly, and Ico inhaled and exhaled deeply, "The princess. She was the one in the castle, wasn't she?"
"How did you-" Ico tried, but Raath waved him off with a scarred hand.
"Siania is not one to keep secrets, Ico," he chuckled, "And I will be forever grateful to you for returning her."
"Thanks, uh, dad," Ico said with a little less certainty than he had hoped, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
He climbed onto Riia and made to wave to Raath before he began to cry, when he put a restraining hand on Riia's bridle.
"Ico," Raath said, "Do what you need to do, not what you feel you should do,"
"What?"
"Follow what your instincts tell you, m'boy. Don't let love go when you've found it. There are plenty young ladies around here all dying for your hand, Ico. But this girl, Yorda, your princess, is the one that you found again after so long. It can't have been by chance."
'Yorda, Yorda. It doesn't matter. All that matters now is us. You, and me? See. We're two peas in a pod. Carved from the same tree. By the same blade.'
Had he really spoken those words? They seemed so - unlike him. Yet he meant them. Yorda was him, and he was Yorda.
"Goodbye, father," was all he said, and rode off out of the gates.
* * *
Come late afternoon, slightly before the sun set, Ico was being chased by what must have been about eight Spirits. He was outrunning them quite well until they all seemed to be thinking with the same mind, as if they were being controlled, as they were enclosing in on him precisely. Suddenly one popped out of a tree in front of his face and Ico cried out, startling Riia, who whinnied and reared up.
Ico fell off the back, rolling well out of the way and watched his horse ride slightly away from him and stayed. He knew Riia wouldn't leave him, but she hadn't the initiative of a human to help, how could she?
He was glad the Spirits weren't interested in his horse, but he was a little concerned about his own health. He scrambled to his feet quickly and established that his best bet would be to run for it. The Spirits had always been quite slow back at the castle.
"We got you," one Spirit hissed. It really was unpleasant, the way they talked, like someone scraping their nails along a blackboard to deliberately make him shiver, "It took a while, boy, but we did. Master will be pleased. He didn't like you, no he didn't."
Ico's blood froze.
"Y-your master?" he stammered, keeping his back to a tree. They were surrounding him, and he wasn't sure if there was a gap, and there were no branches large enough to hit them with. Then he remembered his sword, uselessly hanging by Riia's side.
"Why, the prince, boy," another Spirit snarled, a little more high pitched, "Your friend the prince."
"I can assure you that Prince Keoden is no friend of mine. He is your master? He's controlling you?"
The Spirits nodded.
"No wonder," he murmured, "No wonder they all came for me and Yorda and him got home safetly. No wonder. He's been controlling them all along, the Queen, she must have passed it on to him. That's how he's able to!"
He probably sounded like he was going mad, but he didn't care. Suddenly a great fist of anger and survival instinct hit him and he snarled, launching himself at the nearest Spirit, tackling it to the ground. As expected, the rest clumsily hopped around, giving Ico a chance to get up and hurtle forward in one movement towards Riia, who was taking an uncertain couple of steps towards him.
He leap-frogged onto the saddle and whipped the reins, and the mare galloped through the forest onwards until nightfall and Ico was sure all the Spirits had vanished to whatever Hell they dwelled in during the night.
Tomorrow morning carrying on to afternoon was the wedding, and he may be able to grab a chance to speak with Yorda at the after - party, not that he was invited. Not that he cared. He would have to ride through the night but gave Riia a chance to stop. By the time he got to Ara P'Way, it was almost dawn, and he realised the only clothes he had were the ones he had landed in the sopping wet mud in.
Oh well, at least the people would know the rumours about her loving a peasant was true.
Ico smiled slightly to himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: Awwwww again apologies for the great big stinking naughty delay. I am bad. I am sorry. Please forgive. Otherwise NO MORE STORY FOR YOU! Oh my God I'm nearly finished!
I don't wanna be! Nooooooooooo!
I know what happens in the end and yooououu don't!
Na na ne na na!
WOO ! I'm superior ! I am so smart - S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T! WOO!
Review.
P.S. I love the little tacos, I love them gooood.
By Julie Danskin (Invader Jed)
Chapter 17 - Sacrifice -
Author's note: I know, I know, don't hurt me. It has been a long time, but it's getting to the point where I'm not sure if I'm ruining the story or not. Do you know what I mean? Probably not. Ooooooohhhhh well. I'm just saying that this is the part when you'll either love it or hate it and therefore hate me and I'll get all scared and stuff. Don't hurt me! O.o Ok calm down Jed - shhhhh. There, there.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Morning came slowly for Ico, who lay in his bed wide awake, thinking about what Yorda was doing. How foolish she was. Ico wasn't worth it, not even Siania was -
Ico looked over at what was nearest to family and undid his last thought. Siania was worth everything, he loved her. But not like he loved Yorda, he loved her with something that had been lost and found again. Something precious and unique that he had never known could exist to him, and he knew inside himself she felt the same, and that she was doing this for him.
"He said that if I refused, he would kill you."
Yorda -
When the time came, Ico and Siania gathered their bags and carried them along the hallways, escorted by Biocha. It was very early, before dawn. Yorda might be sleeping, or not quite awake. Ico felt like he was saying goodbye, even if he was coming back to see the wedding. But wasn't he saying goodbye? He had sworn not to speak to Yorda.
But they didn't need to speak.
Her room was lit with torches mounted on the walls, the shadows dancing on the walls. On the bed sat Yorda with Keoden sitting nearby, a frowning smile watching Ico victoriously. In leaving, Ico would doom Yorda. In dying, she would save Ico and Siania, along with all other 'cursed' ones. In living, she could love Ico.
Siania ran up to her first to engulf the princess in a warm embrace. Yorda sat limply, only moving her arms from her sides to pull away and give her a small kiss on the cheek. She outlined the young girl's face with the crook of her index finger and smiled. Ico blinked in surprise at the look that passed over Yorda's face.
The one from when she was a girl at the castle.
The one that told him she was lost and sad.
The one that tore him in two.
Siania stood aside and Ico approached Yorda cautiously and bowed respectfully. He longed to kiss her, but something told him that wouldn't be appropriate.
"I'll be back, Yorda," he promised, "To see you get married. Will you wear a nice dress?"
"Goodbye," she replied blankly, and Ico felt a tear prick in his eye. Did she even know who he was?
"I - I'll make sure Sai gets home safetly," he tried again, "And I'll bring you one of her drawings as a present, shall I?"
Yorda looked at him, the clouds strong and defiant over her violet eyes.
"Corru acci sommi ep," she said in her own language. Keoden came up behind Ico and walked over to Yorda, putting a hand on her shoulder. She just looked at it.
"Folitera commae sommi corri epa sol, Yorda," he said, and Yorda blinked at her brother, before turning back to Ico.
"Goodbye," she said again, and the pain that wrenched in Ico was almost unbearable. He bowed again.
"Goodbye, Princess," he croaked, and turned before his heart exploded, his cloak brushing her knees slightly as he walked over to Siania and Biocha and out of the door.
Yorda looked at Keoden angrily and stood up.
"Happy now?" she snapped, "Happy now Ico thinks you've managed to break me?"
Keoden walked up to her and smiled nastily.
"You are broken, Princess," he snarled, "Look at you. You're shaking. You must have it bad, Yorda. Too bad that you'll never know-"
"Be quiet!" she cried, and flung open the door Ico had just walked out of. Keoden slammed it and shoved her against the wall adjacent to the door, "Let go of me! You've had your way now let me live the rest of my life in peace! Or what's left of it,"
"What are you talking about?" Keoden demanded, still holding her against the wall.
"Oh, I know all about it, Keo. How you plan to frame Giannias and kill me just after the wedding. How you say you'll release him - but that won't happen, will it, Keoden, dear brother? Because you know as well as I do that if I'm dead and the 'king' is dead, then the next in line would be-"
Keoden pulled her forwards and slammed her back into the wall so she bit her tongue and banged her head, tasting blood. She moaned slightly, but looked at him, the fake clouds gone and anger filling them.
"Look what you've come to, Keoden," she said quietly, "You're going to kill your sister for a chair. And power."
"Power is everything," Keoden retorted, "Without power, there is only-"
"Peace? Independence? Love? Three things that you pretend you stand for, Keo. Three things that I stand for, and you are going to destroy! Was I really such a bad leader?"
"No, I -"
"Do what you have to do, Keoden. But make it quick."
Yorda tried to push him away and almost succeeded, but Keoden pushed his face closer to hers so she could smell his deceitful breath.
"I'll kill you slowly, Yorda," he promised, "And then I'll track down your boyfriend and kill him slowly too, and then his family, and then the little horned girl. After that - the rest of those filthy horned children you love so much."
He let her go and stormed out of the room. Yorda gasped for air and slumped forwards onto the floor and cried. Everything she had thought she was going to save was going to be wasted.
"Ico," she said to the polished marble floor, "Ico - forgive me. I love you."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Ready?" Biocha said cheerily to Siania as Ico sat on top of Riia the horse, awaiting Siania saying goodbye to her friend. She was hugging him tight, and Biocha's family were also gathered around them smiling.
"I don't want to go now!" Siania sobbed, holding onto Biocha's tunic, who chuckled.
"Don't be silly, young girl," he laughed, "You'll be seeing all your friends and family again!"
"Can't you come too?" she asked hopefully, and he shook his head and peeled her arms away from him and knelt down to her eye level.
"'Fraid not, young miss," he said, "We'll meet again soon, I promise."
Siania smiled slightly, and turned to Ico, who lifted her onto the horse in front of him, and he took the reins, linking his arms around her.
"Bye, Biocha!" she called, "Bye, everyone!"
'Bye, Yorda," Ico thought, 'I'll see you in a couple of days.'
"Safe journey, Ico," Biocha wished to Ico, snapping him to reality. He tore his eyes from the castle and nodded, smiling grimly.
"Will do," he said, "C'mon, Riia, we need to get out of here."
He urged the mare forwards and they trotted off into the distance, not wanting to tire Riia out too quickly. When noon came and the sun was high the Spirits emerged, and Ico felt Siania tense beside him.
"Why does it seem that they know exactly where we are, every single one of them?" he thought aloud, probably alarming his companion, so said, "Ah well, all the more to outrun. Makes it a bit more exciting, huh Sai?"
She didn't say anything.
"Hey, just think of what's at the other end," he said softly to her, still concentrating hard on the road. A branch whipped past his eye and knocked a Spirit in the head. Ico laughed, which seemed to cheer Siania up a little.
Come nightfall, Ico and Siania had made good progress and were nearly home already. It would only take them another couple of hours, so they decided to go through the night at leisure, as there were no demons to try and drag them away. They managed to go at a walking pace, and Siania slept a while, so surprised Ico when she spoke.
"You're going back aren't you?" she said.
"Yes," he told her, "Just to see Yorda get married."
"Shouldn't she be marrying you?" Siania asked.
"Why would you think that?"
"You love her," she replied simply, "I can tell."
"There isn't much I can do," he said softly, staring at Riia's mane distractedly, "She's a Princess, and I'm-"
"A peasant? I don't think she cares much."
"That's not the only problem."
"She's in danger isn't she? With her brother, and that nasty-looking man he's always with? What's his name - Giannes?"
"Giannias. What makes you think she's in danger?"
"Because I see the way you look at them both. Especially Prince Keoden. You hate him."
"Siania! What did your mother teach you about that word!" Ico scolded, trying his best to avoid the subject as he felt tears of regret teasing his eyes.
"Never mind that," she snapped, and she sounded so much older than twelve, "You despise him more than his friend, because he's only the pawn. It's Keoden that's wanting to hurt Princess Yorda, isn't it?"
"You're a clever girl," Ico said, "Yorda will be fine."
"She will if you're there to protect her," Siania told him, and was quiet for the rest of the journey, and leapt off the horse when they reached the gates, and sprinted to her house. Ico tied Riia up and walked into the happiest atmosphere he had ever known. Except from when he was with Yorda.
Raath and Kiassa were sitting in the kitchen, both hugging Siania. They looked up to see Ico and Raath stood up, leaving Siania with her mother, and walked over to Ico. He shook his hand warmly and wrapped him in an embrace.
"My son," he said, "You brought her home."
"I made a promise," Ico reminded him, "But you shouldn't thank me. You should thank the Princess. She was the one that did the fighting. To the others in the castle, we were just insignificant peasants. Except Biocha and Yorda-the Princess."
"Yes, yes, but you brought her home!" Kiassa cried, tears running down her face as she squeezed the life out of her daughter.
Raath nodded, and took a large bottle of wine out of his cellar downstairs, and with the crack of it opening, Ico connected a telepathic link with Yorda, and felt her pain.
He forced a smile and drank the wine, trying to accept that he was the hero.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, Yorda sat, expressionless, as her maids picked out her wedding gown and played with her medium length hair, trying to find a style that would make her look poetic and lovely. She sat, enduring the pain and the lack of the presence of Ico, and the knowledge that he would soon be watching her getting married for his benefit. How foolish it sounded, that she was marrying someone to help Ico, who would be crushed by her commitment to Giannias, who was in fact planning to kill her.
But at least he would be safe.
'Only you wanting me to go away could make me, and then my heart would ache forever.'
'Better it ache than bleed.'
'Are you sure? Are you really sure?'
The words haunted her, the riddles hidden within them tormenting her.
Was Ico trying to say that he would rather die than not be with her? Or was it something he had simply come out with without considering its meaning or depths, not that Ico necessarily had to have reason to say something like that and mean what she thought, but then, what else could it mean?
'Are you sure?'
"Of course I'm sure," she said aloud, "I thought about it and I made up my mind. It's better this way for everyone."
'Are you really sure?'
A maid disturbed Yorda's thoughts, and she remembered that she had been thinking aloud.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but what have you made your mind up about, if you don't mind me asking," she said, and Yorda jerked her head, making one of her other maids working on her hair tut in disapproval.
"What?" Yorda asked the maid, who was called Lika.
"It's just that-" Lika broke off, thinking she had perhaps crossed a line. Yorda smiled slightly to stop the conversation and looked in the mirror again at the person she was, not even twenty years old and giving up her life for a peasant boy and his cursed sister. It seemed a ridiculous thing for a princess to do.
But she loved Ico, and owed him her life for what he did for her in the castle years ago.
Realisation flooded her like an unpleasant wind taking her breath away. There was two days before the wedding, Ico would be getting ready to return to Ara P'Way if he was to make it on time. Unless the Spirits got him and Siania on the way back to Furwha Sanctuary, as Keoden was controlling them somehow. Or maybe Ico had changed his mind, and the last thing she had said to him was "Corru acci sommi ep" which meant "Go now before I change my mind".
Ico.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ico was indeed getting ready for his return journey to Ara P'Way as soon as he had arrived. He couldn't miss one, last glance of Yorda and her freedom. He was readying Riia as the sun began to rise, and Raath came up and put a hand on his shoulder, giving Ico a sudden fright.
"Sorry, son," he said gruffly, "Just wanted to catch you before you scarpered. Sai and Kiassa are in bed, still, but I knew you wanted to beat the Spirits and get there in time."
"I don't want to camp alone in a cave," Ico said, surprising his adopted father a little, "I'll ride through the night if I have to. I need to get to - I need to get to - "
He caught himself just in time, but Raath smiled softly.
"The girl," he said knowingly, and Ico inhaled and exhaled deeply, "The princess. She was the one in the castle, wasn't she?"
"How did you-" Ico tried, but Raath waved him off with a scarred hand.
"Siania is not one to keep secrets, Ico," he chuckled, "And I will be forever grateful to you for returning her."
"Thanks, uh, dad," Ico said with a little less certainty than he had hoped, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
He climbed onto Riia and made to wave to Raath before he began to cry, when he put a restraining hand on Riia's bridle.
"Ico," Raath said, "Do what you need to do, not what you feel you should do,"
"What?"
"Follow what your instincts tell you, m'boy. Don't let love go when you've found it. There are plenty young ladies around here all dying for your hand, Ico. But this girl, Yorda, your princess, is the one that you found again after so long. It can't have been by chance."
'Yorda, Yorda. It doesn't matter. All that matters now is us. You, and me? See. We're two peas in a pod. Carved from the same tree. By the same blade.'
Had he really spoken those words? They seemed so - unlike him. Yet he meant them. Yorda was him, and he was Yorda.
"Goodbye, father," was all he said, and rode off out of the gates.
* * *
Come late afternoon, slightly before the sun set, Ico was being chased by what must have been about eight Spirits. He was outrunning them quite well until they all seemed to be thinking with the same mind, as if they were being controlled, as they were enclosing in on him precisely. Suddenly one popped out of a tree in front of his face and Ico cried out, startling Riia, who whinnied and reared up.
Ico fell off the back, rolling well out of the way and watched his horse ride slightly away from him and stayed. He knew Riia wouldn't leave him, but she hadn't the initiative of a human to help, how could she?
He was glad the Spirits weren't interested in his horse, but he was a little concerned about his own health. He scrambled to his feet quickly and established that his best bet would be to run for it. The Spirits had always been quite slow back at the castle.
"We got you," one Spirit hissed. It really was unpleasant, the way they talked, like someone scraping their nails along a blackboard to deliberately make him shiver, "It took a while, boy, but we did. Master will be pleased. He didn't like you, no he didn't."
Ico's blood froze.
"Y-your master?" he stammered, keeping his back to a tree. They were surrounding him, and he wasn't sure if there was a gap, and there were no branches large enough to hit them with. Then he remembered his sword, uselessly hanging by Riia's side.
"Why, the prince, boy," another Spirit snarled, a little more high pitched, "Your friend the prince."
"I can assure you that Prince Keoden is no friend of mine. He is your master? He's controlling you?"
The Spirits nodded.
"No wonder," he murmured, "No wonder they all came for me and Yorda and him got home safetly. No wonder. He's been controlling them all along, the Queen, she must have passed it on to him. That's how he's able to!"
He probably sounded like he was going mad, but he didn't care. Suddenly a great fist of anger and survival instinct hit him and he snarled, launching himself at the nearest Spirit, tackling it to the ground. As expected, the rest clumsily hopped around, giving Ico a chance to get up and hurtle forward in one movement towards Riia, who was taking an uncertain couple of steps towards him.
He leap-frogged onto the saddle and whipped the reins, and the mare galloped through the forest onwards until nightfall and Ico was sure all the Spirits had vanished to whatever Hell they dwelled in during the night.
Tomorrow morning carrying on to afternoon was the wedding, and he may be able to grab a chance to speak with Yorda at the after - party, not that he was invited. Not that he cared. He would have to ride through the night but gave Riia a chance to stop. By the time he got to Ara P'Way, it was almost dawn, and he realised the only clothes he had were the ones he had landed in the sopping wet mud in.
Oh well, at least the people would know the rumours about her loving a peasant was true.
Ico smiled slightly to himself.
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A/N: Awwwww again apologies for the great big stinking naughty delay. I am bad. I am sorry. Please forgive. Otherwise NO MORE STORY FOR YOU! Oh my God I'm nearly finished!
I don't wanna be! Nooooooooooo!
I know what happens in the end and yooououu don't!
Na na ne na na!
WOO ! I'm superior ! I am so smart - S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T! WOO!
Review.
P.S. I love the little tacos, I love them gooood.